11319 research outputs found
Sort by
Local Government Planning for Sustainable Home Technologies in Aotearoa New Zealand
Full text linkSustainable home technologies are widely regarded as being a responsive tool to the increase in awareness of the warming climate and detrimental impact of fossil fuels. As more homeowners are beginning to shift away from traditional sources of energy, ensuring regulatory and non-regulatory provisions are supportive of the transition is vital. Within the literature on sustainable home technologies and the role of government policies, several arguments have developed regarding the appropriate approach to take in order to increase uptake. Given that effective provisions should be based on research and exemplars of best practice, this raises the question of whether the current Aotearoa New Zealand planning framework is providing enough support to homeowners. International case studies provide best practice models and guidance that can be used to inform the development of a suitable system and the features it includes.
This research aims to identify what provisions are in the current planning framework, how they were formed and why they were included, to see if they provide effective support to homeowners, and how they can be improved going forward. Four local government jurisdictions, including South Taranaki, Wellington, Marlborough, and Christchurch, are examined to provide a benchmark for the provisions presently in place in Aotearoa New Zealand. Interviews with key informants and a document analysis were used to identify and assess how well they have achieved the objectives of various plans, strategies, and reports.
This research found that while there were some provisions in place, both regulatory and non-regulatory, these were not enough to provide effective support to homeowners implementing sustainable home technologies. Legislation at the national level has taken an effects-based approach, while the local government district plans have prescribed the type of development which should be occurring. While in some areas of environmental management this approach has been a success, this study has found that specific technologies need to be directly provided for to increase the rate of uptake by homeowners.
The implementation of a more permissive and incentivising planning framework would give homeowners more leeway to develop a system which provides for their household needs. However, the current approach is lacking in multiple areas and requires considerable review. Several recommendations for improving current provisions have been formed as a result of this research. They include:
• A review of the Building Act (2004) and the associated Building Code.
• Providing local government with more controls over the development in their jurisdiction.
• Implementing additional non-regulatory mechanisms.
• Providing for the contribution of additional actors, such as financial institutions and energy companies.
• Increasing education and awareness of sustainable home technologies and the benefits derived from such an installation.
Adopting these recommendations will increase the rate of uptake of sustainable home technologies throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. The collaboration of various actors will ensure national and local government provisions are meeting the needs of homeowners, providing adequate support, encouragement, and, where necessary, regulation
Interpreting Isaiah from Isaiah: Intratextual translation in old Greek Isaiah
No full textThe translator of Old Greek (OG) Isaiah created many new intratextual links within his text, engaging in “intratextual translation.” Scholars argue that it was a method he used to actualise his text, to solve problems he found in his source text from within Isaiah, or to make his translation appeal to an educated Greek-speaking audience. Some contend intratextual translation has purely Jewish origins, whereas others suggest it derives from Alexandrian methods of textual scholarship.
This thesis addresses intratextual translation as a window into the translator’s perception of his source text (Vorlage) and his translation task. I consider two portraits of the translator of OG Isaiah and how they account for intratextual translation: first, that he was a Palestinian Jewish scribe, immersed in the Jewish scriptures, who emigrated to Egypt and there translated Isaiah; and second, that he was an Alexandrian Jew familiar with the work of the grammatikoi (γραμματικοί) of the Museum, influenced especially by the principle developed by Aristarchus to “clarify Homer from Homer” (Ὅμηρον ἐξ Ὁμήρου σαφηνίζειν). These two perspectives are not entirely incompatible although I emphasise the translator’s high level of education in Greek and suggest the Alexandrian background is more plausible. However, I argue that intratextual translation should be seen in light of both Jewish and Greek precedents, namely the phenomenon of rewriting in Jewish literature and the maxim and method of Aristarchus.
In the main body of the thesis, I examine intratextual translation in OG Isaiah according to four key themes which the translator amplifies in his edition of Isaiah: glory and salvation, comfort, Mother Zion, and humbling. The recurrence of intratextual translation around these themes in OG Isaiah reveals that the translator considered them essential to the book of Isaiah. Other scholars have emphasised that the translator provided his readers with a frame of reference within which to understand the book by highlighting key themes, and that as a result his version of Isaiah, despite its variation from the source text, remains very much Isaianic in character. My study demonstrates that the message and themes of Isaiah which the translator considered intrinsic to the book and which he intensified in his rendering are primarily developed in the latter half of the book. It also shows that Isaiah 40:1-11 was especially significant in his understanding of the whole book. Through intratextual translation, the translator creates intratextual links across the whole book of Isaiah and makes his version more coherent and consistent than Hebrew Isaiah. Thus, OG Isaiah reflects the message and tone of Second Isaiah and Third Isaiah more than First Isaiah
Hidden Markov modeling of sparse time series from non-volcanic tremor observations
Full text linkTremor activity has been recently detected in various tectonic areas world wide and is spatially segmented and temporally recurrent. We design a type of hidden Markov models to investigate this phenomenon, where each state represents a distinct segment of tremor sources. A mixture distribution of a Bernoulli variable and a continuous variable is introduced into the hidden Markov model to solve the problem that tremor clusters are very sparse in time. We applied our model to the tremor data from the Tokai region in Japan to identify distinct segments of tremor source regions and the results reveal the spatiotemporal migration pattern among these segments.Peer Reviewe
Brain ageing, neuropsychological functioning and a potential intervention
No full textIn recent decades, the burden associated with cognitive decline and other neuropsychological changes in healthy ageing has increased significantly due to the rapid increase in population ageing. This has heightened the need to better understand brain ageing and develop interventions to optimise neuropsychological functioning in older adults. Additionally, more recently, a global COVID-19 pandemic has led to the need for people to wear face masks in public. It should be noted that older populations are at particular risk of more severe disease, and thus are in greater need of wearing protective face masks, yet in theory older adults could be more adversely affected given natural declines that occur with advancing age (e.g., cognitive and cerebrovascular). This thesis reports on four studies that addressed these issues. The first study, which was a systematic meta-analytic review investigated age differences in emotional information processing. The results revealed some evidence of an overall age-related positivity effect consistent with a shift toward positivity with adult ageing. However, consideration of emotionally neutral stimuli revealed significant age differences in emotional processing for negative stimuli only, with younger adults showing a stronger negativity bias, and a distinct pattern emerged for face stimuli, which may reflect the biological and social significance of facial expressions. The second study, which investigated the effect of an interval stair climbing intervention on cognition and mood in older adults indicated improved cognition following the moderate-to-high intensity stair climbing intervention; however, rather than improving mood, older adults reported feeling more tired. These outcomes provide initial indications that this mode of exercise that can easily be translated to naturalistic settings offers promise as an intervention strategy, but more research is needed to optimise the protocol to suit aged populations. The third study addressed the effect of wearing face masks for at least 8 hours on neuropsychological functioning in younger adults and the results showed that participants reported feeling less happy and more tense during the mask compared to the no-mask control session. Additionally, the results revealed a small but significant adverse effect of wearing a surgical face mask on the more challenging condition of a selective attention task. This evidence of adverse effects in a university population signalled that future research is needed to investigate the effects of wearing surgical face masks in vulnerable populations (e.g., people with asthma and older adults). Finally, the fourth study which addressed the effect of wearing face masks for a full day on brain functioning in older adults showed a significant difference in one instance for just one of the hemodynamic responses and significant reductions in feelings of calm; however, the overall effect of wearing a face mask on brain functioning should be considered negligible as there were no other significant mask-induced effects which is encouraging but somewhat surprising given the effects in younger adults. A follow-up trial with a larger sample size will be needed before any firm conclusion can be drawn
Dunedin Energy Study 2019-20
Full text linkThe Dunedin Energy Study is a joint annual research project between the Dunedin City Council (DCC) and the Centre for Sustainability and the Department of Physics at the University of Otago. This study takes stock of, and analyses energy inputs into the city of Dunedin for the financial year 2019-20.
The study was conducted between August 2021 and January 2022 and provides an estimation of the total amount of each energy type used within the city, along with an indication of the end uses of energy, and energy-related greenhouse gas emissions
Design and function of anti-tissue factor/41BBL bi specific T cell engagers to activate anti-cancer T cells
Full text linkCancer is a disease which causes a considerate amount of pain and suffering, and is topped only by cardiovascular disease as cause of mortality in first world countries1. The necessity for new therapies along with the potent tumorigenic potential of the immune system highlights tumour immunotherapies as viable to pursue for further research and development. Here we have investigated a format of bi-specific T cell engager (BiTE) which utilises the tumour-associated antigen tissue factor, covalently linked to a single 41BBL protomer for co-stimulation of T cells, with the aim of assessing its ability to trimerise in solution and activate T cells at the site of antigen expression. We postulated that differences in linker domain structure between the α-tissue factor and 41BBL subunits may alter trimerisation properties and BiTE activity, leading us to investigate different linker constr ucts. We found that the α-tissue factor-41BBL BiTE with either a glycine serine or a leucine zipper linker was able to bind specifically at each end to its target protein, however neither of the two BiTE constructs investigated were able to elicit effector functions from T Cells in vitro when provided as co-stimulation alongside CD3 agonist. Investigating other design formats such as covalently linking multiple 41BB protomers may be required in the future to promote greater trimerisation
Revisiting human and animal relationships in prehistoric Near Oceania: An archaeogenetic approach
No full textThe social histories and cultural identities of Near Oceania (Australia, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands) are entwined in people’s relationships with their animals and environments and are fluid over time and space. However, meaningful understanding of Near Oceania’s dynamic prehistory is limited by a patchy zooarchaeological record and sampling issues, resulting in broad brushstroke narratives developed upon a handful of sites and middens. In the absence of new excavations of sites, legacy collections and new (or refined) analytical techniques become important sources of information.
Three case studies are presented to address several key archaeological research questions. These include the investigation of the prehistoric use of terrestrial resources in the Bismarck Archipelago; the timing of faunal translocations across Near Oceania; an evaluation of changes in the exploitation of forest resources in the New Guinea Highlands; and the determination of the geographic origins of commensal Rattus exulans (Pacific rat, Polynesian rat) populations in Australia and the Solomon Islands, and how they might reflect past human mobility and inter-island interactions. Each study engaged with legacy collections and applied one of two emerging genetic methods: DNA metabarcoding (bulk bone metabarcoding) and complete mitochondrial genome phylogenetics.
This re-examination of Near Oceania’s zooarchaeology reaffirms the complexity and multiplicity of people’s behaviours and interactions in the past. For instance, the genetic identification of postcranial faunal materials from Kiowa (New Guinea Highlands) provides insight to the sustainable hunting practices in the Highlands during the mid- to late-Holocene. Significantly, the genetic identification of pig (Sus sp.) in pre-Lapita contexts calls for a reassessment to the prevailing model regarding their introductions into the region. Further, the phylogenetic study of R. exulans, from locations that have not been associated with Lapita or their descendant populations, presents new opportunities in how researchers can use this species as a proxy for the cultural affiliations of people transporting commensals across Near Oceania.
Collectively, these three case studies are also examples of how relevant archaeological research questions cannot be investigated solely through genetic techniques. The DNA preservation assay of pre-Lapita zooarchaeological materials from the Bismarck Archipelago demonstrated poor biomolecular preservation and incomplete comparative samples reduce our ability to produce informative interpretations of genetic results. Innovative genetic studies of prehistoric faunal remains from Near Oceania, as undertaken in this thesis, provide unique insight to prehistoric human behaviours and the relationships between people and their environments
The facilitators and barriers for young adults to consume plant-based protein in New Zealand.
No full textBackground: Little is known about consumer attitudes to plant-based diets and the consumption of plant-based protein in New Zealand. Young adults are more likely to consider reducing their meat consumption and adopt plant-based diets because they are more receptive to change. Furthermore, university students are typically eager to learn about issues such as the environment, public and individual health, and animal welfare. Determining the facilitators and barriers for a student to consume plant-based protein may help to benefit population health and the environment.
Objective: The aim of this project was to identify the facilitators and barriers for young adults to consume plant-based protein in New Zealand.
Design: This mixed-methods study obtained both quantitative data using a survey and qualitative data via focus groups. The survey was completed online by University of Otago students aged between 18 and 22 years. Students who completed the survey and indicated an interest, were invited to take part in a focus group. Focus group participants were categorised as: ‘vegetarian’ (i.e. those who do not currently consume meat and/or animal products); ‘willing omnivores’ (i.e. those willing to replace some meat with plant-based protein); ‘unwilling omnivores’ (i.e. those unwilling to replace any meat with plant-based protein. The survey informed the questioning route for the focus groups. The recorded discussions were transcribed and uploaded to NVivo 12, in order to conduct a thematic analysis.
Results: Four people participated in the ‘vegetarian’ focus group including two vegans, four people in the ‘willing omnivores’ group, and there were no participants in the ‘unwilling omnivores’ group. Six overarching themes were identified using thematic analysis: surrounding influence, socialisation, nutritional concerns, preference, convenience, and guilt. A lack of nutrition knowledge about plant-based sources of protein, iron, and vitamin B12 suggests that education is needed to motivate ‘willing omnivores’ to consume plant-based protein.
Conclusion: This research indicates that affordable, tasty, convenient, and nutritious plant-based protein alternatives are potential facilitators for young adults to adopt a plant-based diet. Informing the food industry of these facilitators when designing new products will increase the willingness of consumers to try their plant-based options. Additionally, providing knowledge to consumers will support ‘willing omnivores’ to become confident that their transition towards a plant-based diet is nutritionally adequate
Liberal Christianity and the changing role of women in New Zealand society : a study of the National Council of Churches and the League of Mothers, 1939 to 1959
No full textFrom 1939, the start of World War II, to the end of the post-war period around 1959, significant changes occurred in women's role in New Zealand society. This is a study, not of the churches per se, but rather of Christianity struggling to come to terms with the twentieth century. The two organisations on which it is based, the nondenominational New Zealand League of Mothers (L.O.M.) and the ecumenical National Council of Churches in New Zealand (N.C.C.), are examined as expressions of liberal Christianity. Two chapters on World War II show that leaders in both organisations argued that despite wartime upheavals women's primary role in a democracy remained in the home, forming the character of future generations. Four chapters spanning 1945-59 examine the ways the N.C.C. and L.O.M. both initiated and resisted changes in attitudes towards women's role, when, in contrast to other Western nations, the average rate of population increase was high and female labour force participation was low. The relationship between religious ideology and social ideology is examined through literary sources, complementing the statistical approach. This study argues that these organisations show the beginnings of a change in social awareness regarding women's role in society. Earlier assumptions that women had to choose between either following a career and therefore remaining single, or marrying and having a family, by the late 1950s were increasingly displaced, given that women were both raising families and contributing usefully to society through paid employment and/or unpaid work in the community. Women's voluntary work was changing in nature. As older middle class married women demonstrated their ability in the voluntary arena, it became increasingly difficult to defend practices excluding them from the responsible use of power in paid positions, both in the churches and society. During the post-war years the L.O.M. became more pragmatic, showing little of its former interest in theorising about the differences between the sexes. In contrast the N.C.C. sought a thorough demographic and sociological understanding of women's changing role, replacing earlier alarmist approaches. Responding to changes within marriage and the family, the N.C.C. played a socially innovative role in pioneering family life education and marriage guidance. By the late 1950s the L.O.M. began to recognise the increased labour force participation of married women, particularly in urban areas, and its ageing leadership was to become increasingly unresponsive to the needs of women in a rapidly changing society. By this time there was a resigned acceptance among women ecumenists associated with the N.C.C.' s Women's Committee that post-war economic developments, rather than Christian teaching, had done more to bring about improved conditions for women
A School-Based Intervention to Promote Positive Youth Development: A pilot experimental study
No full textIntroduction: The primary aim of Study 1 was to implement and assess a school-based positive youth development intervention in Aotearoa New Zealand. I developed the Men Fit Programme, based on other positive psychology and growth mind-set interventions, and implemented it in an all-boys high school in Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand. The primary aim of Study 2 was to assess the relationship between school belonging and mental health.
Hypothesis 1. Participants in the intervention condition, but not the control condition, will display an increase in wellbeing, resilience, and grit between the start and end of the programme.
Method: The Men Fit Programme consisted of 2 1-hour sessions each week, over the course of 10 weeks (i.e., one high school term). The current study assessed four cohorts of students that completed the programme in 2018 (n = 69) and a control group of students that attended the same school but did not complete the programme (n = 82). Participants completed measures of wellbeing, resilience, and grit, at the start and end of the programme.
Study 2 utilised data from school-wide assessments conducted at the same high school the Men Fit Programme was implemented in, assessing a large sample of students (n = 589) on measures of school belonging, stress, anxiety, and depression.
Results: In Study 1, for participants in the Men Fit Programme, there was either no significant change over time in wellbeing, resilience, or grit, or a change that was observed in both the intervention and control groups. In Study 2, school belonging predicted lower odds of both depression and stress, but not anxiety